What is Happpiness? What is its true meaning? We often think that Happpiness is the feeling that we experience when we achieve success, material gains and possessions and when we have favourable situations and people in our lives. But the feeling that we think of as Happpiness fades away as quickly as it was formed. We all strive for Happpiness and yet it seems eluding us all the time. Why is it so? It is because True Happpiness is not experienced from what we have, rather, it is from who we are within. True Happpiness is SatChitAnanda – the Eternal Bliss that never ceases to flow that comes with the Consciousness of the Truth. True Happpiness is an inner state of contentment, fulfillment, peace, purpose, harmony and connection to the Divine essence in all beings in this universe. True Happpiness comes in mindfulness, complete spiritual awareness, Consciousness, Self-Realization, God-Realization and Enlightenment.
One of the most important things that I learnt about True Happpiness is that in English language, the word ‘Happiness’ may be written with 2 Ps but when it comes to Spirituality, ‘Happpiness’ is spelt with 3 Ps. These 3 Ps are a constant reminder that there are three ascending peaks of Happpiness. The first peak is Pleasure – which is the lowest and the most temporary phase of Happpiness but majority of the humanity gets stuck in chasing the temporary pleasures. And in doing so, they miss out on achieving the True Happpiness. Pleasure is momentary Happpiness or an ephemeral joy that is not a permanent form of Happpiness according to spiritual wisdom. Pleasure depends on changing conditions like wealth, relationships, recognition, success, name and fame, and therefore, fades with time. True Happpiness, on the other hand, is constant because it stems from a deep awareness of one’s inner self. It is the quiet contentment that arises when the mind is still and one is in a state of Consciousness or Spiritual Awareness. This inner fulfillment is not disturbed by life’s ups and downs, rather, it flows from a source beyond external circumstances and situations. The second peak of Happpiness is Peace. Peace is found within us and it is the foundation of True Happpiness. Peace is experienced with contentment and fulfillment in life. The third and the ultimate peak of Happpiness, the third P is Purpose. Purpose in life gives us the ultimate form of True Happpiness because when we know our purpose in life – ‘Why were we born and given this life to live?’ – we are Enlightened to the Truth of life. Therefore, True Happpiness is gained when one strives to attain their Purpose in life because then, they will be able to experience Peace and will take every Pleasure as a blessing of the Divine, thereby, filling their lives with Ever-flowing, Everlasting, Eternal Bliss and Joy.
Contentment, inner fulfillment and having an attitude of gratitude are essential elements of True Spiritual Happpiness. When we learn to appreciate life as it is, rather than constantly wishing for more, our hearts fill with contentment and inner fulfillment. Every moment becomes sacred. We begin to count our blessings rather than crib about the problems. The warmth of sunlight, the beautiful shades and colours in the nature, the breath that sustains us, the kindness of others, everything starts seeming to be blessings from the Divine, the Supreme Immortal Power that we call God. Having an attitude of gratitude transforms ordinary experiences into blessings of the Divine, helps us focus on the positives and the gains in life and dissolves the illusion of lack. Spiritually, this attitude aligns us with abundance and the Divine flow of life. Acts of service to the humanity, and love and compassion also deepen True Spiritual Happpiness. When we live selflessly and extend kindness to others, we experience the joy of connection with one and all – we experience the Divinity in all creations and manifestations of the Divine. The Spiritual Masters and Gurus have reminded us, time and again that the greatest Happpiness comes from the attitude of giving – not from taking. Acts of love expand our Consciousness and awaken a sense of unity and collective Consciousness with all creation. In that unity, there is no loneliness or fear. Rather, there is only Eternal Peace, Contentment and Inner Fulfillment.
True Spiritual Happpiness, therefore, is the awakening to our true nature and returning back to our true Divine essence – the very fact that we and all creations are a manifestation of the Divine. It is the recognition that beneath our roles, identities and desires lies a boundless presence of love and Divinity. When we get Enlightened and connect with that Divine essence through prayer, meditation or simple acts of awareness, we will discover that True Divine Happpiness was never something outside of us. It was within us all along. And the Realization of this Truth will lead us to experience Inner fulfillment, calm, contentment and SatChitAnanda.
